The Aerospace & Defense sector makes for some great investments. The stocks discussed here are United Technologies Corp (NYSE:UTX), The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA), Lockheed Martin Corp (NYSE:LMT), General Dynamics Corp (NYSE:GD), Raytheon Company (NYSE:RTN), Northrop Grumman Corp (NYSE:NOC) and L-3 Communications Holdings Inc (NYSE:LLL). All the stocks except BA are Dividend Contenders in David Fish's CCC list; companies that have raised dividends consecutively for 10-24 years. BA saw a freeze in dividend raises from 2009 to 2011.

Each company discussed here has its own specialty and is the leader in manufacturing defense related products and services. I have not read enough about the sector to comment or recommend one stock or another based on the technology and business-outlook side of things. For now, I will simply be looking at the valuations and the financials/dividend history to compare the stocks. I recommended readers to do their own research before investing in any of the stocks discussed.

The US spends a massive 3.8% of its GDP (numbers as of 2013) on military and defense budget. That amounts to about $640B - a number much larger than any other country on this planet. To put things into perspective, the military/defense budget of the next 10 highest spending countries need to be put together to get close to that number. Suffice it to say, that the defense contractors discussed here make for some juicy returns for your investment money.

United Technologies Corporation provides technology products and services to the building systems and aerospace industries worldwide. UTX is a conglomerate operating in six segments - Otis, UTC fire & security, Pratt & Whitney, Hamilton Sundstrand and Sikorsky. UTX has been raising dividends for 20 years in a row with 5-yr and 10-yr dividend growth rates (DGR) of 10.3% and 14.5% respectively.

UTX is probably the most diverse of the group, as the company is a conglomerate with defense being only one component of a massive corporation (defense revenue accounts for 21%of the company's total revenue). UTX is also a DJIA component and the P/E valuation closely matches that of the index.

The Boeing Company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, sells, services, and supports commercial jetliners, military aircraft, satellites, missile defense, human space flight, and launch systems and services worldwide. The company operates in five segments: Commercial Airplanes, Boeing Military Aircraft, Network & Space Systems, Global Services & Support, and Boeing Capital. BA, after a freeze in dividend raises from 2009-2011, has started aggressively raising dividends since. Last year's dividend raise was a whopping 50% and the 5-yr DGR currently stands at 8.18%.

Probably the most publicly known companies because of their commercial airline manufacturing business, BA is also a DJIA component and like UTX, has a fairly similar matching to the index - although the current P/E and P/B ratios are very high. With a Graham number of 50.97, BA is currently overvalued.

Lockheed Martin Corporation, a security and aerospace company, is engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products, and services for defense, civil, and commercial applications in United States and internationally. LMT is a dividend contender having raised dividends for 11 years in a row, with a 5-yr DGR of 21.2% and a 10-yr DGR of 23.5%.

Lockheed Martin is the highest grosser in the defense sector for the past few years and also counts defense spending as the biggest source of revenue at 95%. LMT is at the top-end of the scale with highest yield, highest payout ratio, highest 5-yr DGR. However, LMT also has the highest amount of debt totaling $6.15B (which is a debt/equity of 1.28). The company will probably not be able to keep up with the massive dividend increases going forward. With a Graham number of 57.28, LMT is currently overvalued.

General Dynamics Corporation operates as aerospace and defense company worldwide. Its Aerospace group designs, manufactures, and outfits business-jet aircrafts; provides aircraft services, such as maintenance, repair work, fixed-based operations, and aircraft management services; and performs aircraft completions for aircraft. GD is a dividend contender having raised dividends for 23 years in a row, with a 5-yr DGR of 10.3% & 10-yr DGR of 13.3%.

GD is right in the middle of the pack for all valuations, but has stood the test of time - with the 23 years of dividend increases and will cross into the dividend champions list in two years, provided they keep the dividend raises coming.

Raytheon Company develops integrated products, services, and solutions in the areas of sensing; effects; command, control, communications, and intelligence; mission support; and cyber and information security worldwide. It operates in four segments: Integrated Defense Systems; Intelligence, Information, and Services; Missile Systems; and Space and Airborne Systems. RTN is a dividend contender having raised dividends consecutively for 10 years; with a 5-yr DGR of 14.4% and 10-yr DGR of 10.4%.

Raytheon's P/E, P/B, debt level, yield, payout ratio and DGR all are very agreeable and will need a closer look for an investment at current levels.

L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiary, L-3 Communications Corporation, provides command, control, communications, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C3ISR) systems; aircraft modernization and maintenance; and national security solutions in the United States and internationally. The company operates in four segments: Aerospace Systems, Electronic Systems, Communication Systems, and National Security Solutions. NOC is a dividend contender having raised dividends consecutively for 11 years; with a 5-yr DGR of 13.8%.

The lowest yielder, but also the lowest payout ratio (at 28.4%) of the group provides for plenty of room for future increases. The company is also just a little higher than the Graham number (115.89) and is currently attractively priced.

For the risk averse investor, you can get exposure to all the stocks mentioned above by buying one of the following ETFs.

About the author:

Roadmap2Retire

I am a personal finance and investing blogger. A software designer by profession, I have a passion for economics, business, finance and investing. My personal financial goals are to generate enough passive income to fund my retirement, and along the journey - share my experiences with my readers.

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